Looks like Stuart Garner will at least be prosecuted for miss-use of the pension fund; https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2022/february/stuart-garner-pleads-guilty/
Ironic that this story is in the MCN, a publication that continued to support his running of Norton even when employees were leaking information about his gross mismanagement, and other motorcycle journalists were condemning him.
I'm struggling to find anything online about Garner and his employees' complaints prior to January 2020. There was an article in the Financial Times in June 2019 following complaints from people who'd invested in the pension funds and couldn't get their money out after five years. The pension ombudsman was investigating at that point. MCN ran a few stories in August and November 2020 about Norton looking for investment, and supposedly getting some. The Guardian broke the story behind Norton going in to administration in January 2020. MCN is in the business or reporting bike news. Much of what they report will come from press releases. They don't do in-depth investigative journalism. It's a fair editorial point to make that they should but I think we all know what we are getting when we buy the paper.
Hardly a sentence https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news...TRG9n77dASlDYO7Ok0_ni0qflxwk6ZeJF_hw6E8ciiM9w
18 months does seem extremely lenient to me, especially given that is suspended. No jail time for screwing over his employees. Bit of a joke in my mind.
Gobsmacked by this, the judge explained the harm done and then all but let him off. Meanwhile 220 people have been left high and dry after unwittingly funding his lord of the manor lifestyle. Then there are the customers stuck with unroadworthy or non-existent bikes, relying on the good will of the new owner of Norton. One rule for them and another for us.
I guess he’ll go and hide in his South African hunting lodge that he hasn’t got, even though a director of the charity garner hasn’t got left a testimonial on the hunting lodge website, I wish I hadn’t got as many things as Stuart hasn’t!
Pisses me off as if someone who robbed this much £ from an institution/bank etc would get at least a 10 stretch. So called white collar crime always goes under-punished Imop.
It does make me laugh when people congratulate a person or company that “saves” a nostalgic brand. They are in it for the money and that’s it. I am fortunate as was about to put down a deposit for the Norton V4. Even spoke to Garner about my intentions. Fortunately my inheritance wasn’t as healthy as it might have been and didn’t go through with deal. Feel very sorry for the unfortunate people that did.
^that said, I hope the new owners of The Norton brand make a decent product that befits the name and makes a good go of things and yes some profit for their endeavour.
Yes the new owners have pledged to fill all the orders to people who lost out. So that's a great start and a decent gesture. Joe.
